CST Time Now — China Standard Time
The current CST time (China Standard Time, UTC +08:00) is shown below.
CST — UTC +08:00
Thursday, 22 October 2026 CST
Where CST is used
CST has no standard English abbreviation in the Unicode CLDR data that browsers and phones use, so software usually labels these places "GMT+8". These 14 zones keep UTC +08:00 all year — the same clock as CST:
| Zone | Country | January | July |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antarctica/Casey | Antarctica | AWST +08:00 | AWST +08:00 |
| Asia/Brunei | Brunei | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Hong Kong | Hong Kong SAR China | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Irkutsk | Russia | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Kuching | Malaysia | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Macau | Macao SAR China | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Makassar | Indonesia | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Manila | Philippines | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Shanghai | China | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Singapore | Singapore | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Taipei | Taiwan | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Asia/Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | GMT+8 +08:00 | GMT+8 +08:00 |
| Australia/Perth | Australia | AWST +08:00 | AWST +08:00 |
About CST
Offset & DST
UTC offset: +08:00
Daylight saving: Not observed
Representative IANA zone: Asia/Shanghai
IANA zones at CST
Converting CST to other time zones
CST is fixed at UTC +08:00 — written +0800 in email headers and +08:00 in ISO 8601 timestamps. The table below uses each abbreviation's own fixed offset; for a specific place, check its city page, since local clocks switch between standard and daylight abbreviations.
| Zone | Difference | When it's 12:00 CST | Converter |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTC Coordinated Universal Time | −8 h | 04:00 | Hour by hour → |
| PST Pacific Standard Time | −16 h | 20:00 (−1 day) | Hour by hour → |
| MST Mountain Standard Time | −15 h | 21:00 (−1 day) | Hour by hour → |
| CST Central Standard Time | −14 h | 22:00 (−1 day) | Hour by hour → |
| EST Eastern Standard Time | −13 h | 23:00 (−1 day) | Hour by hour → |
| BRT Brasília Time | −11 h | 01:00 | Hour by hour → |
| BST British Summer Time | −7 h | 05:00 | Hour by hour → |
| CET Central European Time | −7 h | 05:00 | Hour by hour → |
| EET Eastern European Time | −6 h | 06:00 | Hour by hour → |
| MSK Moscow Standard Time | −5 h | 07:00 | Hour by hour → |
| GST Gulf Standard Time | −4 h | 08:00 | Hour by hour → |
| IST India Standard Time | −2:30 h | 09:30 | Hour by hour → |
| JST Japan Standard Time | +1 h | 13:00 | Hour by hour → |
| AEST Australian Eastern Standard Time | +2 h | 14:00 | Hour by hour → |
CST can mean something else
Time zone abbreviations are not unique. Besides China Standard Time, CST is also used for:
- Central Standard Time (UTC −06:00) — central North America, in winter
- Cuba Standard Time (UTC −05:00) — Cuba, in winter
When the difference matters — meeting invites, software, contracts — write the UTC offset (UTC +08:00) or an IANA zone name such as Asia/Shanghai instead.
Countries commonly using CST
Other zones at UTC +08:00
CST questions
- What is CST in UTC?
- CST (China Standard Time) is UTC +08:00. In ISO 8601 timestamps it is written +08:00, in email and HTTP headers +0800.
- Which countries are on the same time as CST?
- Places on the same clock as CST all year are in Antarctica, Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong SAR China, Indonesia, Macao SAR China, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan.
- Does CST mean anything else?
- Yes. CST is also used for Central Standard Time (UTC −06:00) and Cuba Standard Time (UTC −05:00). Use a UTC offset or an IANA zone name when it matters.
More tools for CST
Look up the exact IANA zone behind CST, see it on the offset map, or compare it against other cities.